The Post Drums Pre-FM recording is degraded and flawed. I doubt that it is a Pre-FM Master Reel recording, but then again, stranger things have happened. The ONLY reason I included it was to circulate the complete show. As for the SBD, David Gans said that the Post-Drums segment was unusable.

Great Show!!! About the box set version, what I've heard is that there was a massive cut in Goin' Down The Road that made the last two songs of the second set unusable on the vault masters. They substituted the versions from the Winterland June 1977 box. I would've preferred them to just patch the Goin' Down The Road instead of replacing it but maybe the patching wouldn't have worked. As far as FOTD, maybe there's a tape flip in the vault master?

Reviewer:gratefulfarnk -
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May 9, 2014 Subject:
May 1977 Box Set Pulled a Fast One

I love this show. I was there at the Auditorium Theater, and a friend recorded the WXRT broadcast so I have that as a keepsake for that memorable night.

In the May 77 box set (released in 2013) the powers that be pulled a couple of fast ones. Versions of GDTRFB and Saturday Night from some other show(s) were substituted to replace the damaged original tracks in 5/13/77, but no explanation was offered in the liner notes. Also, for some unknown reason a chunk of the instrumental section in FOTD, a segment that sounds perfectly fine on my cassette recording of the WXRT broadcast, was chopped out for no apparent reason.

I for one would have appreciated something in the liner notes acknowledging these changes and offering some justification. After listening to this show with the 2 damaged tracks for 36 years, I know it pretty well. I was ecstatic at the prospect of getting a clean version in the May 77 release. So I was doubly disappointed when the two songs turned out to be impostors.

Reviewer:wprestong -
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November 2, 2013 Subject:
First rock concert I ever went to

Thank you so much, whoever posted this! This is the first rock concert I ever went to, and it was a great concert. (It also meant that many other concerts by other bands I went to after that were big let-downs for me, because they could not live up to this standard.)

This was stereo-simulcast by WXRT in Chicago and my sister tape-recorded it off the radio, so we listened to it many times after that. The cassettes I have are missing now and they have WXRT station breaks and commercials in them, so this is better.

I still don't know who Dr. Beechwood and Dr. Schott (?) are. Are they guitars?

This five is for the performance alone, not necessarily this particular board, although Mr. Miller has done us a great favor in compiling the best of what's available. The source change from Drums > on is actually kind of charming and I love the way that magnificent Other One sounds here, but halfway through GDTRFB we have another dip, which will have to suffice through the rest of the suite and the encore. The good news is both nights at the Chicago Auditorium Theater will be released in a few weeks - really curious to see if they have indeed completed this board! The first 2/3rds sounds just fine, with some great stage banter thrown in there, too - the boys are having fun tonight!

Set one - some of Jerry's tunes go down so well: the first Jack-A-Roe, a lovely FOTD, and, of course, the abrupt turn into Fire on the Mountain - I just love how Phil lays the bass down so unapologetically, so bare, so beautiful. They cook the hell out of this one!

Set two - some decent opening fireworks give way to what has to be, for me, one of the great highlights of the Spring '77 tour - the Other One! YOWSER, kids...buckle up tight!

While I do tip my hat to the spring '77 run (look for a boxed set someday?), not all sets are without clunkers, and this first set is no exception. My favorite is when Jerry walks right through one of the time Signature changes in The Music Never Stopped as if it wasn't happening...I got a good chuckle out of that one. The band badgering one of the members to come onstage (one of the drummers?) at the beginning is prety hilarious, too.

The band doesn't reslly seem to find its sea legs until Minglewood. As far as song selection goes, Jerry seemed to pick a lot of his "Down Home" songs, but he all but sleep walks through the first two. Jack-A-Roe, however, shines. I am partial to the slower versions anyway (the 80's-90's version were sped up way too much). The Scarlet/Fire set closer is a nice treat.

The 2nd set is as good as any on the tour, with one possible exception (hint: it's the show that every Deadhead has).

This is a band that took chances and we were forgiving of them when they didn't come out with both guns blazing. This is one such night. But look at me, I am downloading it anyways. I think that you should, too.

4 stars, just to be fair to all of the five star shows on this tour. Emjoy!

I have akways loved this show. The first set is the where the magic happens for me. WXRT had problems and then lost the feed during the second set so if your source for this show is from the radio, that might explain the issues you are experiencing.

Why do people keep trying to convince others whether Donna was good or bad? It is only people's opinions. I don't think she was horrible, but I certainly never liked her either.

I saw some shows with Donna when I first started seeing the Dead live and I thought she was terrible. But that doesn't mean others didn't like her. Just don't try to tell me that she was great becasue I'll never think she was.

Finally, just because the music was good doesn't mean anything. She played no instrument and only occasionally sang, so a show could be good or bad and she would have had very little to do with the final outcome. Sunrise and her screaming on Playin' In The Band were the two worst offenses in my book.

Reviewer:Bordeaux1789 -
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May 13, 2010 Subject:
Still great after all these years!

One of my favorite, most heavily played tapes from when I got this back in 1982 in college. Love the shpiel at the beginning of the show and the crisp, tight, engaged playing throughout. Didn't see my first show until 4 months later--wish I'd caught the Spring 1977 tour but thankfully we have all these wonderful recordings.

I don't get it....Donna's background helped make Jerry the fab vocalist he was (yes, that's right!!!).....understandably, the occasional annoying, over the top vocals didn't work but anyone who listens to this era has to hear what she was able to do for the man, himself. I am tired of reading the ridicule; like our wonderful Congress the is so contradictory, it's all bullshit. You can't tell me 1977 was the best but she had nothing to do with it. That simply does not make any sense. Fire On The Mountain wasn't the same without her. How about Sugaree in Baltimore or Hartford......and the list goes on. Get the wax out of your ear because you can't hear!!!

Nice show. Typical great sound quality as per usual when Jay's name is on it. My favorite show of '77 is 6-9. Since I gave it a five star rating I guess I'll have to give this four stars. There's nothing wrong with this concert though.

Reviewer:Cliff Hucker -
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March 11, 2009 Subject:
This is a fine show...

Typically well played for May, and the Other One is certainly among the best performed in 1977.

But this excellent show is surely eclipsed by quite a few others from this period, both in the music and sound quality. (94 pts)

look out for this one - burning the house down as we speak - wowee wow whoa

Reviewer:Evan S. Hunt -
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December 20, 2008 Subject:
A Most Definitive Fire on the Mountain

From the get go this is an amazing remaster of a wonderful but slightly bass overdriven FM recording of an unspeakably brilliant and intensely picturesquely articulated performance: every song = A+. If there were 10 stars to rate a show, this show would merit all 10.

First ever Jack A Roe is an out of box perfect reading.

LLR will curl your battons so be well prepared.
Phil hits 8 on the Richter Scale.

The Scarlet is clearly red but Fire bleeds the intellect of a Jerome Connected man!

Samson on is a purified extension of the all consuming Fire and on it goes, and you run smack into a tree burning up in your arms as you carry you discard.

As much as I bash Donna, she does a fine job on this first set, with a blend of backing vocal that is something I didn't know she could do.
Music through Devil, very nice. El Paso we find Bob stepping up the energy, he enjoys this song.
Bobs on fire with outstanding rhythm as the GD machine blisters a polished first of seven total Jack A Roe played on the 77 tour.
LLR is the speed bump in the road.
Scarlet has the level up again, Donna adds some nice work as the drummers and Phil take us to Fire. In a tin can, one of our drummers? Is it working ?? On Fire, by the time we get to first verse it blends a bit. All good. The band Jams out on a killer first set.

Reviewer:serpentbox -
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March 20, 2008 Subject:
Good, but not to the last drop

First set rocks in my opinion and the sound is crisp and clean. Jerry's on, and sounds great. Nice stage banter and off-stage whispers. Feels like a magic show. I also dug the second set. Nice Fire on the Mountain. But half way through GDTHRFB the audio goes to hell and degrades to something unlistenable. Maybe it was my computer? I don't know since I'm the first review. It was an honory though. I'd have given this a four start rating if it wasn't for the faux pas at the end. Worth a listen for sure. God I miss these guys. Will someone please invent a time machine?